Master of Ceremonies Bill Ruckelshaus at the 2006 Wild Salmon Hall of Fame

Jay Nicholas (Oregon)

Jay is an Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife biologist with over 30 years professional work supporting the future of wild salmon - from a scientific monograph about every Chinook stock on the Oregon coast, to writing the Oregon Plan for Salmon and Watersheds, a statewide conservation partnership between government, communities, and private landowners. He is known for his respectful relationships with interest groups representing forestry, agriculture, fishing, and conservation. A children's book that Jay wrote and illustrated about salmon has been placed in every fifth-grade classroom in Oregon (he donated proceeds of the book to the Oregon Youth Conservation Corps). Jay's respect for salmon and people is perhaps best represented by the pledge he wrote to introduce the Oregon Plan: We, the people of Oregon, promise to do our best to understand and respect the needs of salmon and to make some change in the way we live our daily lives, in the hope that both salmon and people will survive and flourish, together, in the future.

Nat Scholz (Washington)

Nat works for NOAA in Seattle, managing an Ecotoxicology and Environmental Fish Health Program. Nat's work addresses the complex relationship between land use, water quality, and salmon health. From his list of publications and speaking engagements, he must eat, sleep, live and breathe salmon. In addition to his work, he volunteers his time checking salmon runs, doing stream clean up and leading children on tide pool trips. Nat collaborates with others and has cultivated relationships with numerous other organizations to further the cause. Nat is known for his ability to communicate complex science in an understandable language to all walks of people.

Dick Eliason (Alaska)

Dick is a former Alaska State Senator and an avid fisherman. He also served as a State Representative and Mayor of Sitka. In his legislative role he was responsible for the statutory prohibition of fin fish farming in Alaska, enacted in 1990. He was also instrumental in creating a statutory priority for sustained yield of wild salmon stocks in Alaska. Dick has been a positive influence in Alaska for decades. His nomination is supported by letters from Seafood Producers, Alaska Trollers, United Fishermen of Alaska, and the Alaska Longline fishermen's Association.

Tom Stuart (Idaho)

Tom has been an active volunteer for the last 12 years and is a board member for Idaho Rivers United. Tom has donated an average of 20 hours a week for the last 5 years, often attending meetings at his own expense to support and protect wild salmon. Tom works with tribes, elected officials, volunteers, business owners, anyone who can or should support the cause. Tom's non-confrontational approach and ability to communicate with many community stakeholders is a "breath of fresh air in the often contentious world of natural resource management issues." Tom's work focuses largely on the Columbia and Snake River basins.

And the winner is....
The 2007 Finalists